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PO Box 939, Station B

Description area

History

Them Days magazine was established in 1975 to record, document, research and publish the oral, visual and written history of Labrador.

In addition to the magazine, Them Days Labrador Archives began in 1984 with the arranging of researched material into an archives. Much of the material organized has been donated by individuals, businesses and organizations interested in helping to preserve the rich cultural history of Labrador.

Geographical and cultural context

Mandates/Sources of authority

Them Days Incorporated (herein “Them Days”) is dedicated to keeping the history of Labrador alive by documenting and preserving the "old ways and early days" of Labrador. Them Days does this byconducting special projects of research, translation, consultation, maintenance of archival collections and production of publications on matters relating to Labrador history and culture.The Them Days Labrador Archive collects, maintains, and preserves archival records produced by Them Days and records relating to Them Days’ objectives from private donors. As a safekeeper of archival material, Them Days is committed to preserving the records to the best of its ability and resources in terms of climate controlled setting and specialized archival storage, and to following best practices asoutlined by the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives (ANLA).

Administrative structure

The Board of Directors for Them Days manages the affairs of Them Days Incorporated.

Staff: Employees or regular volunteers at Them Days Inc. who have undergone ANLA’s Basic Archives course or other recognized archive training.

Board of Directors: Volunteer board of directors who handle the affairs of Them Days, headed by an executive of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. The board is composed of a number of sub-committees, including the Research and Reproduction Committee.

Research and Reproduction Committee: A sub-committee which reports to the Board of Directors, formed by directors and other volunteers. Its primary purpose is the operation of the archive and handling requests from the researchers who use it.

Records management and collecting policies

Scope

The Them Days Labrador Archive will accept archival records that have at least one of the following attributes:

a) documents the creation, organization and operation of Them Days;b) relates directly to Labrador;c) has historical or cultural significance to the people of Labrador.

The Them Days Labrador Archive may add to its holdings when:

a) materials are transferred from the working files of Them Days when they are no longer required for current administrative, legal or financial needs;b) private materials are acquired by donation, donation for tax receipt, or bequest from individuals, families, organizations or businesses. Them Days is not in a position to buy collections.

Material accessioned by the Them Days Labrador Archive shall become the permanent property of the archives and therefore Them Days, subject to restrictions as outlined in the signed agreement between the donor and Them Days. If, during future reappraisal, the material is determined no longer relevant to the archive, it will be deaccessioned. Deaccessioning will not take place without the written approval of staffand the Research and Reproduction Committee. All information pertaining to deaccessioning and the disposition of the material will be retained in the archive’s records.

Limitations on Scope

The acquisition of records will be subject to the requirements as described in this document and at the discretion of the staff and board, taking into consideration:

a) the resources of Them Days to accept the material, be it financial, physical, environmental, or human resources;b) the material’s physical condition;c) terms, conditions, and legal rights placed on the materials from the donor;d) the relationship of the material to other holdings within the Them Days Labrador Archive;e) the acquisition mandates of other institutions.

Where material donated to Them Days does not meet the guidelines stated in the Acquisitions Policy, Them Days staff will suggest another institution to the best of their abilities.

Them Days Labrador Archive will avoid the active collection of artifacts. If artifacts are offered as a donation, the staff will suggest donating the piece to an appropriate museum. Exceptions may be made for artifacts that relate directly to a collection and are of a significant nature. This is under the discretion of the staff and board of Them Days. Newspapers, periodicals and published books may be acquired foruse in the reference library, as approved by the staff.

Buildings

Holdings

This collection which continues to grow contains diaries, letters, reports, audio and video recordings, photographs, slides, maps and a reference library. The holdings in particular include such works as: the diary of Thomas Blake, a fisherman/trapper (1883-1890) from the Hamilton Inlet/Lake Melville; papers (1923 to 1979) of Monsignor Edward O’Brien, a Roman Catholic priest to the Innu; the field notes of William Duncan Strong, an anthropologist with the Rawson-MacMillan Field Museum Expedition of 1927-28; and the Moravian Periodical Accounts of the missionaries to the Inuit of Labrador from 1771 to 1937. Among the many and varied books of the collection are the Privy Council records concerning the Labrador/Quebec boundary decision of 1927; the three volumes of the journals of Captain George Cartwright covering 1770 to 1786; and the Goose Bay EIS from the Department of National Defence, an environmental impact statement on military flying activities in Labrador and Quebec, 1989.

Finding aids, guides and publications

Various indexes and finding aids, in print and some on computer, are available. Indexes of Labrador material held in other archives are also available.